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1. Untitled Triptych(Cambodia : Splendour and Darkness Series) 2. The Farmers and The Helicopters
Lê studied fine arts in California and photography in New York, and since then his work has consistently featured the issues of war and of migration.
The helicopter that makes a frequent appearance in Lê's work has a special meaning for the Vietnamese. For Vietnamese people, these helicopters, with their large propellers, that hovered over their country were an even greater symbol of attack and aggression than fighter planes, and for Vietnamese people who have personal experience of the Vietnam War, even now they are an object of fear. Dinh Q Lê's three-screen video installation The Farmers and The Helicopters is comprised mainly of footage of elderly people who are still traumatized by those helicopters and young helicopter developers. The piece highlights a part of the history of the Vietnam War that is not often talked about and the people who are conflicted about that history.
In addition to the video, the installation includes a real helicopter made by Vietnamese farmers. Seen in tandem they offer a palpable insight into a people who have transcended their troubled past and are attempting to move forward.
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